williams



`UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WM. L. WILLIAMS, 0F NEWv YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND THO. J.OGONNOR, OE SAMEPLACE.

MACHINE FOR BUNDLING WOOD.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 28,243, dated May 8, 1860.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known thatI, WILLIAM L. VILLIAMS, of the city and State of NewYork, have invented, made, and applied to use certain new and usefulImprovements in Means for Bundling Kindling Wood; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe construction and operation of my said invention, reference being hadto the annexed drawing, making part of this specification, wherein-Figure 1, is aplan of my said machine. Fig. 2, is a vertical section ofthe same, and Fig. 3, is a side elevation of the aw for holding andtwisting the wire.

Similar marks of reference indicate the same parts.

My present invention relates to parts that I have improved and perfectedfor operation in machines for bundling kindling wood, and they becomeimprovements upon the machines for which I have heretofore obtainedLetters Patent, one under date of November 15th 1859, and the otherunder date of August 16th 1859.

I apply a series of holding clamps to pre-` vent the wood falling overas the bundle is separated from the mass of wood in the:

trough. I also use feeding and sustaining slides that give motion to thewood, and also.`

aid in forming the bundle and keeping the wood in a proper uprightposition. The wire that is passed around the wood is held in a peculiarjaw and twisted until the bundle is tightly secured.

In the drawing a, is a trough in which the kindling wood is placed byhand, or passed from the splitting machine; b, is a slide that isactuated by hand or any convenient mechanism that coming up behind thewood forces the same along in the trough and against the curved end ofthe trough at 0,) so as to place the wood in position for forming abundle, and one bundle is shown at Z as separated and raised up by meansof a follower (e) the same as shown in my patent of November 15th 1859on which this is an improvement.

In order to prevent the end pieces of wood falling down as the mass isforced along, I employ the slide f that is made with a semicircular endcorresponding with the diameter of the bundle of wood. This slide f isprojected by means of the arm g on the shaft lt, on which a spring iacts, so that so `so that the follower in rising will not take the same,I give a partial-revolution to the shaft z., at the proper time in thedirection of the arrow, by hand or suitable automatic .w i,

mechanism, and draw the slide f entirely back.

The kindling wood has been kept from falling over by a straight clampacting on the ends thereof, but where a circular bundle is separatedfrom the mass, the pieces near the edge of the trough would not be heldup `by said straight clamp, 1I therefore make use of a series .of spring`holding clamps 7c, la, set Ona fulcrum.1,;and a pressed .to the ends`of the wood by 'the springs 2, 2, and `by the curved form given to theends of this series of clamps, 'thee wood is sustained all around theplace from which a bundlehas been taken.

Z, is a jaw for twisting the wire4 somewhat similar to that inmyaforesaid .;patent, the jaws beingclosed by a -sliding conical ring 3actuated by hand or otherwise. My improved jaw is however shown lat m,Figs. 1 and 3. The same is formed by a shaft (m having jaws 4, 4, at theend, to receive the wire as represented by red lines.

5, is a follower set to slide in a groove in m, and having a block 6,near the end thereof; the operator passes a wire around the bundle anddraws the ends into the jaws 4L, he then slides up the follower 5, theblock 6, of which lls the jaws and holds the wire firmly while the shaftm is revolved suiciently to twist and tighten the wire around the bundleof wood. The shaft m., and jaws may be revolved by hand or by mechanismapplied to the wheel 7.

In cases where the wood has been Sulliciently consolidated int-o abundle (by the band o, or otherwise) I find it preferable not to pull onthe wire to tighten the bundle as the jaw 4, revolves and crosses thewire (shown by red lines) as set forth in my aforesaid patent of Nov.15, 1859, because the bundle being solid is apt to cause the wire tobreak, I therefore introduce a jaw or jaws 1', shown in plan Fig. et,and in elevation Fig. 5, the same setting as closely to the wood asconvenient and the wire is led through this jaw 1^, before being passedto the jaw 4', so that on revolving/the said Jaw 4', the twisting of thewire commences at the bundle of wood and unnecessary strain on the saidwire in pulling the bundle tight is avoided.

The jaw r', may be formed in the diverging manner shown, so that thewires will come near each other by being drawn down into the same, butif `more convenient the sides of this aw might be moved back and forthby suitable mechanism so as to bring the parts of the wire near to eachother before twisting. Y

In order to compress the bundle of kindling wood (after it has beenseparated from the mass by the follower e, or otherwise) I make use ofan expansive band or wire 0, one end of which is attached to themachine, the other end to a lever p. 'Ihe natural expansion of this bandwhen un* acted on, or a spring applied to the lever 77,.

causes said band to assume a sutliciently large diameter to allow thebundle of wood d, to be passed thereinto, when upon drawing said band bythe lever p, or otherwise it compresses and effectually packs the bundleinto a tight mass. Two of these bands might surround the bundle and bepulled u on in opposite directions.

By re erence to my aforesaid patents it will be apparent how the presentVimprovements thereon could be applied and operated either by the use ofautomatic machinery, or be moved by hand power applied to any or all ofthe parts, for which reasons the representation of automatic machinery,or of the parts shown in my aforesaid patents is rendered unnecessary.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A series of clamps la, acting on the ends of the split kindling woodcontiguous to the place from which the bundle is removed for holding upthe mass of wood as set forth,

2. I claim the sliding follower b, in the trough a, for moving the woodalong in said trough and conveying Vit into the bun-v dling a paratus,as specified.

I c aim the yielding semi circular supporting slides f, taking the sidesof the pieces of kindling wood as they stand in VYthe trough a, andassisting inV gathering being twisted, as and for the purposes set fortY 6. I claim one or more expansive ring bands yor wires applied tocompress the wood into a compact bundle by drawing upon and tighteningt-he said band or wire for the purposes and as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this thirty firstday of March 1860.

W. L. WILLIAMS.

